My Spiritual Journey (Part 3)

My Journey With A Lifetime Partner

I met my husband in Bible Baptist Church Caloocan, were both of us are transferees.We both are attending faithfully in all the Services held in the Church, every Sunday & Mid Week Services. And these were the times that we always see each other.

Since both of us were active in church's activities, faithfully doing our service to God, we always see each other. In Young People's Meetings were young people meet in Sunday Afternoon for Fellowship and Programs, we had the chance to talk personally and be friends . We also met at choir practices for we are both choir members. We also meet during Teacher's Meeting for both of us teaches in Sunday School. These frequent meetings made us more closer in fellowship and friendship ,till he courted me. I had a suitor then, who is also a faithful young people but I was 4 yrs. or more older than him. I had a young people whom I admired and liked but chances are we seldom meet in church for he is busy in mission work outside the church, for it was related to his work. So , it was whom I find closer as friend, and only a year and a half age gap, that I finally decided to consider .

We both have work during those times.Our work was not a hindrance for us to be faithful and active in serving God through the ministry we chose . And this made me to deepen my commitment to him to accept him to be my lifetime partner. Within our 7 months courtship we decided to get married. My principal sponsors was chosen by both us . He took two principal sponsors from his previous church while I take one from my previous church and we took one from our present church. Our secondary sponsors were our closed and best friends. It was on Jan. 9, 1981 that we were married. Our wedding ceremony was officiated by our beloved Pastor of the our present Church, Pastor Gil Aranda.

As husband and wife, still we continued in our activities and service to God. There was a time when we are given a chance to handle the Yong People's meeting then, being a young married couple.

Becoming a Mother

I became a mother , Jan. 15, 1982. I gave to birth to our firstborn a baby girl. And a year after , I gave birth to our second child a son , Jan . 16, 1983. I quit working then to attend to my children. We occupied the room for rent below the house of my in laws till we had our third child. In those times that we had three children , we still continued in attending the church services in Bible Baptist Church with our three children.

There happened an interlude in our ministry then in church. We had to move to another place to assume the ministry of help to my husband's grandfather who is sick, in Negros Occidental.

As a family we moved into that place. My spiritual journey still continue in this place. I taught children in Sunday School using the Ilonggo dialect which I tried to study and learn to speak. My children were still kids then, ages 7 , 6 and less than a year old. We find refuge and strenght in our spiritual life in GIWU Baptist Church, a church being attended by my husband's uncle where we lived with them, till the death of my husband's grandfather. We only lived here in Negros for almost two years.

When his grandfather died, we decided to leave Negros Occidental and went back home to Caloocan City with my parents. My children when we arrived in Caloocan were 9, 8 and more than 2 yrs. Old .

Since we're back in Caloocan City , we were back in attending church services. We have not assumed our previous ministries we left for it was in the care of other faithful member of the church. Nevertheless we still continue in attending the Sunday Church services & midweek services faithfully. We resumed our giving of tithes and offerings as the Lord continue to bless us financially. We lived in Caloocan till our kids were 12 yrs. Old, 11 yrs. Old and my youngest 7 yrs. Old.

As our children were growing , we instill to them the faith and practices we had. At the time they were able to understand the gospel of salvation, they professed faith in Christ and followed in the water of Baptism by immersion.

Though my children, were not as active in spiritual activities my husband and I were involved during our younger days, we are just thankful to God that they had a personal relationship with Him as Saviour and Lord of their life . As their parents somehow, we had some failures ,that maybe due to the interludes we had.

It made me realized then , that moving from one place to another didn't help them to secure a consistent fellowship with others . They had met other people and friends just to be acquaintances and were not able to build a deeper closeness that could help them be encouraged to get involved in activities in church but then never had a chance because we always leave & move to some other places to live.

Personally, to me, transferring to one place to another , is not a matter of neglecting my personal commitment to God . For whereever He leads me , I see to it that I can find a place to worship Him and serve Him to a church with same faith and practice. And because I am seeking for one in every place God leads me, surely I find one.

Again , I have to end up here, and I hope that you still stay following such episodes in my spiritual journey.

Coming up next will be My Spiritual Journey (Part 4) a journey which tested the bottom line of being alone in my spiritual journey, I think the saddest part but somehow find it a very comforting one.

#17 Article for month if May, 2022

My Spiritual Life Journey (Part 3)

Published: May 27, 2022-Fri.12:48pm